Education Secretary Arne Duncan discusses school reform at New Haven roundtable; Connecticut approved for No Child Left Behind waiver (video)

Tamira Raiford, left, and Jennifer Dauphinais, both teachers at Brennan-Rogers School, speak at a round table discussion on education reform. DeLauro and Duncan hosted the meeting at Brennan-Rogers School with educations leaders and political representatives. Melanie Stengel/Register

From left, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan at a round table discussion on education reform. DeLauro and Duncan hosted the meeting at Brennan-Rogers School, with educations leaders and political representatives. Brennan-Rogers is a "Turnaround School." Melanie Stengel/Register

NEW HAVEN -- National and local education leaders sat around a table Tuesday at the district's first turnaround school, Brennan-Rogers, and shared ideas about elevating the teaching profession as it relates to education reform.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan explained why the $5 million grant program President Barack Obama proposed to Congress in an effort to overhaul the teaching profession would be an investment, not a cost.

He lauded the district and city officials for developing a working reform plan, but he questioned sustainability of the model.

Advertisement

"How do we create a climate where teachers are clamoring (to teach here?)" he asked. And with that, U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-New Haven, told legislators, teachers and city officials to have a "no-holds barred" discussion so they can pinpoint resources that will help teachers play a part in making the reform effort more successful.

DeLauro counted numerous things that would ensure teachers play a part in education reform.

"Teachers need to have a voice, they need to weigh in, we need to make sure we value teachers, teachers need to get paid fairly, we have to respect our teachers and respect the power of education," she said.

Keyshaun Webb, a student at Brennan-Rogers, said that teacher overhaul, as a result of the district's turnaround effort, has curbed behavioral issues at the school, improved student learning and created a calm climate.

The school is going into year three of its turnaround effort, which involves building structures and gaining sustainability, according to Principal Karen Lott.

She added that part of the turnaround effort means giving teachers tools, materials, technology and morale to sustain their passion for teaching, and letting kids know it is their responsibility to learn.

Jennifer Dauphinais, a fifth-grade teacher at the school, said teacher preparation and strong relationships between master teachers and new ones is the key to retaining teachers and keeping them invested in low-preforming schools.

Tamara Raiford, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Brennan-Rogers, argued that teacher support starts before teachers walk into a classroom; they need to be taught in college that teaching isn't just a job, but an honor.

"I believe I'm the only person in the district who left a tier one school to come to a tier three turnaround," she said. "I really felt even as a young teacher in education, that I had a lot to offer. I was willing to grow, willing to learn and willing to expand everything I had in my basket to help these kids learn. At a tier three turnaround school, I felt those are the type of teachers that are needed."

David Cicarella, president of the New Haven American Federation of Teachers, said a large part of why education reform is working well in New Haven is because teachers in low-performing schools want to be there; they had a choice to leave turnaround schools when the reform was launched and some chose to stay.

To further solidify the effort, collective bargaining was used, which Cicarella said "put teeth into everything" they did, including creating a solid teacher evaluation method.

National leaders said Tuesday that those drafting the state Education Reform Bill pulled from New Haven's initiative because of its citywide support system, reform strategies and collaboration among differing opinions.

"New Haven is at the forefront of tough-minded collaboration, not collaboration around the status-quo, but collaboration around closing the achievement gap," said Duncan.

Joseph Cirasuolo of the Connecticut Association of Superintendents added: "It's great to be in a turnaround school when it's turning around ... but I think the objective should be that we don't have any more turnaround schools."

Following the roundtable discussion, Duncan and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced approval of the state No Child Left Behind waiver, which aims to remove "rigid federal mandates" and allow districts to focus on reform that's right for them.

According to a statement from the governor's office, the components of the waiver include: greater flexibility with federal Title I dollars, so the state can now use those funds for state education reform programs; avoiding a situation where nearly half of the state's public schools would have been deemed failing; and creating a system that accurately measures student achievement across all levels.

"For years, while other states implemented education reform plans, Connecticut stuck to the old way of doing things and many of our students suffered for it," Malloy said in a statement. "But the debate we had over the last few months sent a powerful message -- that we were finally serious about turning around struggling schools."